Chuck Versus Another Breakup
by tss1950
Summary: Set after episode 2.13 "Chuck vs The Suburbs" Title says it all, sort of. Chuck/Sarah.
1. Chapter 1

I took a scene that I saw from an NBC preview of the episode "Chuck vs. The Beefcake and used it as the basis for the first part of this story.

This chapter has been revised a little bit from when I first posted it. It is the same story as before with the thoughts and actions of some characters expanded on.

* * *

Sarah was sitting behind the counter of the Orange Orange counting down the seconds till the briefing later in the afternoon when the front bell rang indicating a customer. When Sarah looked up and saw Chuck walking through the front door a genuine smile lit up her face. "Chuck you're early." Sarah was a little surprised when Chuck didn't respond with to her genuine smile. He usually lit up like a Christmas tree whenever he saw her

"Yeah um. Look Sarah we need to talk." Chuck's expression was a combination of determination and depression that usually meant he had to say something that the other person wasn't going to like. Sarah remembered him wearing the same expression before he "broke up" with her in front of the fountain right after Bryce came back.

"What do you need to talk about?" she asked though she had a pretty good idea of what was he was going to say.

"Our cover relationship." Chuck took a deep breath obviously preparing himself for what he was about to say. "We need to break up our cover relationship. I just can't take it anymore"

Even though she knew it was coming Sarah was still hurt by his words and struggled to stay composed. "What is it you can't take Chuck?"

"The lying to my friends and family Sarah. People are starting to notice that something is off with us, that we aren't moving forward and I don't know how to respond to them."

"Just tell them that we like spending time together and don't feel the need to become more serious." Sarah smiled thinking that was a pretty good answer to Chuck's statement.

"But that's just another lie isn't it." Sarah's face fell a little and Chuck quickly backtracked. "Not that I don't like spending time with you it's just that your explanation implies that there's hope for something more in the future and I don't think I've got any left."

Sarah was shocked by Chuck's words. She'd never thought that she would have to deal with the pain of Chuck rejecting her again like he did in front of the fountain. This felt as bad as the Jill situation. At least then he wasn't directly rejecting her, he was just going for the relationship he could have. But now Sarah could tell by his body language that he really didn't believe that anything real was possible between them. _God we always have the worst timing_ she thought with Chuck's invitation to hang out in the suburbs on her mind

"You say that we can't be together while I'm your asset but when I stop being your asset the CIA will send you to other side of the world and we'll never see each other again. I can't keep pretending that those facts don't bother me anymore Sarah. I want us to be together but do you ever see that happening?'

Sarah just looked at him with a carefully selected neutral expression. She couldn't argue with his logic but she wanted to shout at him to not give up.

"Exactly. That's why we have to break up. Our covers will be so much easier if we can just be friends and not have to pretend that something more is happening."

Sarah thought hard about what to say next for the next few seconds. She wasn't even sure why she wanted to argue with him. She couldn't say okay lets be a real couple, the CIA would ship her out so fast her head would spin. And there was no way that Sarah was going to admit that their relationship even if it was fake made her feel normal and loved. Instead she asked him, "is this what you really want?"

_Of course it isn't! _Chuck thought. _I want to be with you_. "Yes it is," he said looking Sarah in the eye. For a moment Chuck and Sarah just stared at each other together in misery, neither one with any idea of how to make things better.

"Well I guess we'll tell General Beckman at today's briefing," Sarah said ending the moment. "Do you want to tell Casey or should I?"

"I'll do it," Chuck said. He didn't want Sarah to have to endure Casey's teasing her about being 'dumped'.

"Oaky is there anything else Chuck?" It hurt Chuck to see Sarah slipping into agent mode but he knew that it was probably for the best.

"No that's it. See you in an hour." Chuck tried a lighthearted grin but Sarah only responded with an emotionless nod.

* * *

John Casey was best known in the intelligence community as a killer, tough guy, or enforcer. He was the man you called when an enemy agent needed immediate injuring or killing. However you can't become one of the top agents in the NSA solely on the ability to inflict pain on people and John Casey was no exception. He was a keen observer of everything around him and a very effective gatherer of intelligence. This applied to both his enemies and members of his own team.

Casey had spent enough time around Chuck and Sarah and reviewed enough covert surveillance footage to be convinced that the two were crazy about other. He figured if questioned Walker would deny everything and say that it was all part of maintaining their cover but Casey knew better. The longing looks she gave Chuck when they were alone and unobserved expect by camera combined with the way she (in Casey's opinion) coddled Bartowski would convince any observer let alone one as savvy as him that she was head over heels for the nerd. As for Bartowski Casey guessed that the kid would gladly tell anyone who cared to ask that he was in love with Walker.

When Chuck had told Casey about breaking up the cover relationship the hulking NSA agent had spent much of the next hour worrying about the complications it would cause. He wasn't overly concerned about the lady feelings of either Bartowski or Walker but he was concerned about the effectiveness of his team. Chuck's flashes tended to be less frequent and reliable when he was in a funk about Walker and the last time that Chuck "fake dumped" Sarah for the sandwich girl she'd gone through their next mission more concerned about breaking up Chuck's date than catching the bad guys. Sure Chuck and Sarah had recovered pretty well after the "breakup" at the fountain but Casey believed that having the cover relationship to rely on really helped ease the tension. He was worried that things wouldn't go as smoothly this time

As team Chuck sat in the Castle the tension between Chuck and Sarah was almost palpable. They hadn't said a word to each other since Casey and him had walked in 15 minutes ago and were even trying to avoid looking at each other. Casey thought they were acting like a bunch of school kids and couldn't help thinking _Christ I hope they resolve their issues before I have to actually talk to them_.

Finally General Beckman appeared on screen and broke the awkward silence. "Good afternoon Agents, Mr. Bartowski." All three nodded in response. "I called this meeting not for a mission but to announce that there will be a change in _arrangements _for your team." Chuck's eyes went wide as he immediately thought of an underground bunker.

"Now that Mr. Bartowski has the Fulcrum Intersect in his brain he is in more danger than ever. I want him covered by at least one of you at all times. To facilitate this Agent Walker will move into Chuck's apartment to provide around the clock protection."

There was nothing but stunned silence for the next few seconds till Chuck asked the General, "by moving into the apartment you mean that Agent Walker will…? "

"She will move into your room and share the same bed. Will this be a problem Mr. Bartowski?"

Chuck was about to speak when Casey stared at him and very subtlety shook his head know. "No of course not General but is this really necessary?" Chuck asked. "I mean Casey's been doing a great job of keeping the apartment complex safe."

"Yes it is necessary Mr. Bartowski," Beckman answered sharply. "The alternative is to lock you away in a secure government facility. Would you prefer that option?"

"No Ma'am," Chuck said meekly.

"Good. Agent Walker I want you settled in the Bartowski residence no later than two weeks from today. Understood?'

"Yes Ma'am," Sarah answered. "What is the cover reason for this move?

"You can tell Mr. Bartowski's family anything you want to Agent Walker. Just make sure they believe that you two are in a committed long term relationship." Chuck and Sarah looked at each other with extremely worried expressions at the General's last statement.

"Well I trust that you three can fulfill these orders easily. Contact me when the move is complete." Beckman then pushed a button and the screen went blank.

The room was silent for the next few minutes as the team digested the surprising news. "Come on Bartowski, let's get back to the store," Casey said. Chuck looked like he wanted to say something to Sarah but thought better of it and followed Casey up the long staircase of the Castle. Right before he shut the door Casey turned and saw a bewildered expression on Sarah's face. _This should be fun_ Casey thought sarcastically before shutting the door.

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	2. Chapter 2

Sarah spent the remaining four hours of her Orange Orange shift in a state of extreme frustration. The tough secret agent felt an overwhelming need to punch something, shoot a gun or do any type of physical activity but instead she was stuck working her stupid yogurt shift and thinking about her situation with Chuck. Earlier in the day before the briefing with Beckman Sarah had come to the conclusion that Chuck was right about them breaking up. Pretending to but not actually dating the man she had real feelings for was becoming more difficult as time went on and was probably having a worse effect on Chuck. But orders were orders as far Sarah was concerned so they would have to find a way to make it work.

When 5:00 p.m. rolled around Sarah closed up the store, grimacing when she saw the days take of $329. _God I really hate this job _she thought. Sarah decided that the best way to work off her frustration was thirty minutes pounding away at the heavy bag in the basement. She had changed into her workout clothes and was just about to throw her first punch when the main Castle computer gave a familiar beep. Sarah growled in frustration but took off her gloves and headed over to the computer.

General Beckman appeared on the screen. Never one for small talk Beckman said, "Agent Walker I wanted to brief you on the details of the situation without the Asset overhearing."

Sarah frowned as she thought about the difficulty of keeping Chuck in the dark. He always managed to find out secrets like this and they would invariably cast her in an extremely negative light and would break down the trust that had developed between the two over the last 18 months. Sarah seriously considered saying this to the General but she thought better of it instead asking, "I assume that you want me to brief Major Casey myself when this is over."

Beckman nodded. "Yes of course."

"Um General before you start may I make a suggestion about this move?" Beckman eyebrows rose in suprise at Sarah for speaking out of turn but motioned for her to go ahead. "I'm worried about what this move might do to our cover."

"Are you concerned about the two of you portraying a real couple? It hasn't been a problem so far?"

The answer to that question was of course yes but Sarah figured that the General would not want to hear about her and Chuck's relationship problems. "No General," Sarah said. "I'm worried about the late nights and other absences that are necessary to complete missions. I believe that my presence in the apartment will make it harder to explain his absences and generally make keeping the cover intact more difficult."

Beckman actually thought seriously about Sarah's statement for before she responded. "That is a good point Agent Walker however I think that the physical protection of the Asset is of more importance at the moment. The reason I want you to move in with the him is so that both Major Casey and yourself will be protecting him and his family from any threats."

Sarah tensed up when General Beckman mentioned his family being threatened. "Are there any specific dangers against Chuck General?"

"Not at this time, however we do know that Fulcrum is aware that someone passed the initial Intersect test at the Meadow Branch subdivision. We are fairly certain that Fulcrum is unaware of anyone downloading the full version of their Intersect." Beckman told Sarah this news in her usual unemotional tone. "One thing that the Intelligence community is certain of is that Fulcrum is now conducting an all out search to find the identity of the person who passed the initial Intersect test. That is the reason for this move. As I said before Mr. Bartowski is in more danger than ever.

"Yes Ma'am," Sarah said.

"Agent Walker it is imperative that the Asset's family do not become suspicious. I am ordering you to secure the cooperation of the Asset by any means necessary. Understood?" General Beckman raised an eyebrow to get the message across

"Yes Ma'am," Sarah answered though she was very uncomfortable with what General Beckman was insinuating.

"If you two cannot establish an effective cover as a committed couple I may be forced to place Chuck in a secure government facility." Sarah nodded at the General's statement, finally grasping the gravity of the situation. "Well that is all for now Agent Walker. I trust you will tell Major Casey everything I just told you." Sarah nodded and Beckman signed off without another word.

Sarah sat at the desk for the next few minutes going over everything that Beckman just told her. Fulcrum was now hunting someone other than Bryce Larkin and that _was _dangerous for Chuck even though Fulcrum didn't know who he was. Sarah got up and headed back toward the bag intent on working out not just her frustrations but now her anxiety.

For the next thirty minutes the heavy bag took a serious beating. Sarah unloaded all her frustrations and concerns with quick and brutal punches that could kill a man if hit by one of them in the wrong place. When her workout was over Sarah was exhausted but felt that she had things in perspective now. _I'm going to protect Chuck_ Sarah thought. _Whether he wants me to or not_.

After taking a quick shower she closed up the Castle and set the alarms. Right before she walked out she sent Chuck a text message. It said 'meet me at my place 7:30'. _We are going to have a serious talk_ she thought as she walked out the door.

* * *

It was 7:40 p.m. and Sarah was starting to get worried. She couldn't remember the last time Chuck was late for any kind of spy meeting. Being 10 minutes late was unheard of. Sarah was starting to the dial the numbers for Chuck's phone when she heard a knock on the door. Without even looking through the peephole Sarah opened the door. When she saw Chuck on the other side she said with more force than she intended, "you're late."

Chuck rolled his eyes and said, "I'm sorry. Emmett came to me at 5:00 and said that Jeff and Lester were assigned to fix a few computers and that they hadn't been fixed yet. He said if they weren't fixed by the end of the day he would fire them so I pitched in."

Even though it was so like him Sarah still couldn't believe that Chuck would do two hours of extra work to keep those two nutcases from getting fired. With a small smile she said, "by pitched in I assume you mean that you did their work for them."

Chuck couldn't hide his sheepish grin at that statement. "Yeah as crazy as they are I wouldn't want to see them fired."

Sarah laughed a little at the comment but then realized that she didn't know what to say to Chuck. The next several minutes consisted of the type of uncomfortable silence that Chuck and Sarah had been falling into lately. They just sat there, not making eye contact unsure of what to say. Finally Chuck broke the silence. "Sarah was there something you needed to talk to me about?"

"Right. I need to talk to you about the change in our cover." Sarah mentally kicked herself for not getting into it right away. "General Beckman basically ordered us to act like a very close, very loving couple so Ellie and Awesome don't suspect anything. We've really got sell this Chuck."

Chuck didn't immediately respond and Sarah noticed a very worried look on his face. "Look I know it's uncomfortable but all of we need to do is smile at each other and maybe touch in public a little more."

Chuck's eyes widened at the touching statement and he finally responded. "That's not what I'm worried about Sarah. Well it is but there's another problem," he said with a concerned look.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"Well I sort of told Ellie that we were having problems," Chuck said in a small voice.

"What sort of problems?" Sarah asked with a voice that was getting a little louder and angrier.

"I told her that we would never be more than what we are now." Sarah's face fell just a little. She couldn't help it, Chuck's words hurt her even if she knew he was only telling the truth. She was also worried about Ellie having a bad opinion of her, Chuck's sister was the closest female friend that she'd ever had. As per usual she covered up her pain so Chuck wouldn't notice. "But when she asked if we were breaking up I said no."

Sarah took a moment to get herself under control. "That's going to make our job even tougher Chuck. Do think that she will buy us moving in together now?"

"I don't know. Maybe if you went over and explained things to her she would accept it." Sarah gave him a funny look. "Not that you'd tell her the _whole _truth, but maybe tell her that we are working on our problems and want to be close to each other or something like that. I think that Ellie would actually believe you."

That sounded like a sensible plan to Sarah. "Okay I'll talk to her as soon as I can and hopefully we can make this move happen."

"Sounds good," Chuck said. "Are you sure that extra… touching is necessary?"

"Absolutely," Sarah said in a firm voice. "Especially if we're going to convince Ellie and Awesome that we are making up."

_Well that should be fun _Chuck thought sarcastically. _We'll be pretend all over each other whenever my sister is around. How the hell am I going to move on_? "Fine," Chuck said sharply. His frustration with his situation was starting to mount. The government wouldn't allow him to be with Sarah for real or get the distance necessary to get over her. "Is there anything else we need to go over tonight because I'm beat and could use some rest."

"No nothing for tonight but we'll need to talk again after I see Ellie."

"Sure," Chuck said. "Well I guess I'll be going."

Sarah and Chuck just stared at each other in silence for the next few seconds neither one knowing how to cross the divide that had opened up between the two of them. A couple of weeks ago Chuck would've brought pizza over and they would have spent the night watching TV and having a good time. Now it seemed that Chuck couldn't wait to get away from her. "Yeah well uh have a good night."

Chuck walked over to the door and said just before shutting it, "you too Sarah."

* * *

Two days later Sarah stood outside Casa Bartowski and knocked on the door. Sarah was amazed to find herself a little nervous. _I've jumped out of planes and toppled governments but talking to Ellie Bartowski makes me nervous _she thought with a smile. Before Sarah could think too much the door opened, revealing Ellie who was casually dressed in jeans and a golf shirt. "Sarah! It's great to see you. Come on in and sit down," Ellie said.

"Thanks," Sarah said touched as always by Ellie's acceptance of her.

"You know Chuck isn't here right?"

"Yeah. I actually wanted to talk to you alone," she said sitting next to Ellie on the couch.

"What is it Sarah?" Ellie felt a twinge of worry. Sarah and she had gotten closer over the last 18 months but Sarah had never fully opened up to Ellie.

"Well this is kind of embarrassing but I need a place to stay."

"Are you having money problems?" Ellie asked. When Sarah gave her a shocked look Ellie cringed realizing how horrible that question was. "Sorry," she said. "That is none of my business."

"It's okay," Sarah said trying to reassure her. "I'm not having money problems it's just that the long term hotel that I'm staying at is going out of business and I've got to clear out in less than two weeks. I'd like to stay with you guys until I can find a new place. It should only be for a couple of months."

Ellie tried very hard but couldn't keep the excited squeal from coming out. She grabbed Sarah in a forceful hug and told her, "of course you can stay here! Devon and I would be thrilled to have you." Ellie was about to mention Chuck when she thought of their conversation from a few days ago. _We'll never be more than what we are right now_. Ellie had tried to put his words out of her mind. She'd thought that maybe Chuck was just having a bad day and didn't really mean what he said but if Sarah was going to move in Ellie had to know what was going on. "Sarah before you move in I've got ask you something." Sarah tensed at Ellie's worried tone. "Is everything okay between you and Chuck? I know that it's probably none of my business but he seemed very down after you two house-sat last week. He didn't think you guys were ever going anywhere."

Even though Sarah knew what Ellie was going to say the words were still agonizing to hear. She wanted to Ellie the truth but instead started on the cover story that she'd been working on since Chuck came over to her apartment. "Honestly Ellie we've been drifting apart since November. I guess it started when Jill came back."

"He didn't cheat on you with that bitch did he?" Ellie asked in a furious tone. "She's always been nothing but trouble."

"No he didn't cheat on me." Ellie sighed with relief, happy that she didn't have to pound her brother into the ground. "He met with her about five times and before you say anything he told me before hand each time he saw her. I think that Chuck just needed closure on his college years and Jill was a major part of that. Chuck told me that she wanted to try again but he turned her down."

"What went wrong Sarah?"

"Nothing specific it's just Chuck was so… I don't know affected by Jill. Even if he didn't love her still had strong feelings for Jill because he got so upset when he came back. It just made me think that he isn't that serious about us." Sarah noted that Ellie seemed relieved that she and Chuck's "problems" weren't that bad. And for the first time Sarah realized how terrible it felt to lie to Ellie, she would be sure to cut him a little more slack the next time he whined about it. This was also the first time she had talked about Jill with anyone other than Chuck and even though she wasn't telling Ellie the full truth reliving that month was painful.

"Oh Sarah my brother is totally crazy about you," Ellie said putting an arm around the blond. "He never looked at Jill the way he looks at you. You can get him back, all you have to do is open up to Chuck a little bit and he'll forget about your problems." Sarah did her best to look hopeful and pleased and the older woman's advice. "And you'll be sleeping in the same bed so I'm sure he won't be able to resist you for long." Ellie grinned at her last piece of advice.

"Do you really think so?" Sarah asked in hopeful tone almost forgetting that this was all a cover.

"Absolutely. All you need to do is tell him that you love him and you guys will be as good as new." Ellie turned her head to take a sip of water and missed Sarah's pained expression. Now very happy Ellie asked Sarah, "When do you want to move in?"

"As soon as possible."

"Okay. That means we have to get started planning right away. Who knows maybe you'll be able to surprise Chuck." Sarah grimaced a little and Ellie started looking around for something and couldn't find it so she said to Sarah, "I'll be right back I've got to get a pen and paper."


	3. Chapter 3

For the first time in a while Chuck was actually happy to be working at the Buy More. He was looking forward to spending the day fixing computers and forgetting the fact that Sarah was moving into his room that evening. He did smile when he thought of Ellie's reaction to the move. In the three days since Sarah announced it Chuck's sister had been on cloud nine and couldn't stop saying how happy she was for both of them. Chuck felt terrible about lying to Ellie but he knew that there was no help for it. He was hoping that fixing computers and logging invoices would help distract him from his troubles.

Chuck was about 10 steps inside the store when he saw out of the corner of his eye Morgan running toward him. "Chuck!" Morgan shouted. "I need a huge favor from you."

"What is it buddy?" Chuck was little worried by Morgan's frantic tone.

"I need to crash at your place."

"What? Why? Did something happen to your house?" Chuck asked.

"No it's not the house, it's what's happening **inside** the house that's the problem," Morgan said emphasizing the word inside. When Chuck gave him a confused look Morgan continued, "you know my Mom and Big Mike?"

"Oh yeah." Chuck grimaced at the thought of those two in bed together.

"I mean they're going at it all the time, they're like newlyweds. And the noise, I swear Chuck I didn't think that human beings could make that noise it sounds like two…"

"Whoa way too much information," Chuck said now happy that he'd only had half a bowl of Fruit Loops for breakfast. "And as much as I'd like to help you I can't."

Morgan was shocked, Chuck never failed to help him out in tough situations like this. "Why not?"

Chuck was hesitant to tell Morgan about Sarah moving in. Normally he would have called his best friend immediately with important news like this but he didn't want to see another person close to him get excited about a relationship that wasn't real. "Well you see Sarah is moving in with us and I don't think there's enough space for the five people to sleep in the apartment."

"I understand buddy," Morgan said dejectedly and started walking away. After a few steps he seemed to actually process what Chuck said. Turning around quickly he yelled "Hey wait a second did you just say that Sarah was moving in with you?" Chuck nodded at Morgan and gave his best friend an uncomfortable grin. "Well congratulations buddy. I am so proud of you!" He then gave Chuck a Morgan Hug which consisted of the little bearded man jumping on Chuck and wrapping his legs around the taller man's waist.

"Grimes! Why're you causing this ruckus?" Chuck and Morgan turned and were surprised to see Big Mike standing right next to them with a half eaten donut in his hand. _How did a 300 pound man with a loud voice sneak up on me_? Chuck thought.

"Sorry Big Mike. Chuck just told me that he's moving in with Sarah and I got a little excited."

"Is that true Bartowski?"

"Yes it is Big Mike," Chuck answered.

Hearing Chuck confirm the news Big Mike looked at him with a new level of respect and then chuckled. "Well I don't know how you do it but congratulations. Just don't let Blondie wear you out too much. Oh and Grimes keep your voice down we are actually trying to sell things." Big Mike slapped Chuck on the shoulder which caused the tall nerd to wince and headed back toward his office and more donuts.

Chuck was still rubbing his right shoulder a few moments later when Jeff and Lester came up to him. "What was that all about?" Lester asked.

Before Chuck or Morgan could answer Jeff said, "Yeah Big Mike hasn't been yelling as much since he started doing Morgan's mom." Morgan, Chuck, and even Lester gave Jeff dirty looks. For some reason every employee at the store had a tough time processing the mental image of Big Mike having sex, it was just too disturbing.

Finally Morgan answered. "Well Chuck just told me that Sarah is moving in with him and I got a little excited and started shouting. Big Mike just told me to tone it down a little."

Jeff and Lester looked at Chuck with a combination of amazement and hero worship. When Chuck saw their strange looks he asked, "What? Sarah and have been co err dating for more than a year. It can't be that surprising that she's moving in with me." Thankfully no one noticed that he almost called it cover dating.

Lester looked down with a little shame. "You see Charles Jeff and I always thought that Sarah was, uh how do I put this delicately… completely out of your league. We even made a bet with Anna that Sarah would dump you by Christmas of 07."

"Boy were we wrong!" Jeff said with an inappropriate wink toward Chuck. Lester then started laughing loudly to cover up his awkwardness.

"Yeah thanks for the vote of confidence guys," Chuck said sarcastically. _Just remember, it isn't there fault that they're complete morons _he thought.

"No problem," Jeff answered. He moved a little closer to Chuck and asked in a kind of quiet voice, "Chuck man what's your secret?"

"Secret to what?"

"You scoring all these hot chicks. In the last year I've seen you with Sarah, the sandwich girl, and that hot brunette at the restaurant. How do you do it?" Lester and Jeff were clearly interested and even Morgan looked curious about Chuck's answer.

When Chuck looked at the expectant faces in front of him he had the odd desire to actually give the two losers some helpful advice. _Like I'm a good person to ask about romance_ he thought. _I don't care what she says about Morgan, Sarah and I do have the strangest relationship in LA_. After a minute or two of thinking he gave the best answer he could. "I don't know guys maybe you should just be yourselves. That's all I did to attract Sarah."

Jeff and Lester looked disappointed but Morgan grinned. He knew that his best buddy didn't have to do anything crazy to attract women. "That's right Chuck's the man." He gave him a enthusiastic high five and Chuck cracked a big smile for the first time that morning. _Might as well get in the spirit of things _Chuck thought. "So when's the lady moving in?"

"Tonight actually, she's going to pick up the rest of her stuff and bring it over to the apartment."

"So no call of duty tonight?" Morgan once again looked a little disappointed but not overly so.

"Afraid not," Chuck said. "What about Thursday night I think we're both off."

"Perfect. You know Chuck there this new place called Bill and Dave's in Hollywood that has an all you can eat buffett and two hours of video games for $9.99. We can go there to celebrate."

"Sounds good buddy," Chuck said. He chuckled to himself when he remembered telling Sarah that he trusted Morgan's recommendation for any food under $10.

"Yeah we're in too," Jeff and Lester chimed in. Both Chuck and Morgan rolled their eyes but just shrugged as if to say what can you do.

Morgan was about to mention the details when Emmett Millbarge walked up to the little group. "You can discuss you dinner plans later _gentlemen_. Now you have customers to service and computers to fix so get at it."

Even though there was only four customers in the store the group dispersed and with the exception of Chuck went about their daily routines of doing as little work as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

"You okay Chuck?" Sarah shot Chuck a worried look at they got out of the car. She was still concerned that the two of them living together in the same room would be too much pressure for Chuck despite his protestations to the contrary.

"I'm fine Sarah. Were just having dinner with Ellie and Awesome, we've done this a hundred times before, it's no big deal."

"What about after dinner?"

"Well that we haven't done a hundred times before but it'll be okay… probably," Chuck said. He gave her his most charming smile and she grinned in response.

Chuck was happy to see Sarah smile again, glad to see that some of the stress she'd been under seemed to be lifting. For his part Chuck was feeling much better about the whole move. He'd spent the day in the cage fixing computers and thinking about his new circumstances. Being a naturally optimistic person he'd decided to focus on the positives of the move. Ellie, Awesome, and He would be safer with Sarah around and he liked spending time with her so hanging out with her more wouldn't be a problem.

Sure it would be tough being around Sarah all the time and not being a real couple but he'd told himself that it was better than her being reassigned or him living in a bunker. He'd also resolved to treat the "cover maintenance" as an act like Sarah did. Chuck was not going to look at the cover kisses and hugs as way for both of them to show real affection for each other. Sarah and he would just be very close friends and he was sure that he could handle that.

Just before they got to the door Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and leaned into him and whispered, "Remember we've got to sell it." Chuck shivered and tried not to focus on how nice it felt to be holding Sarah's hand. Touching Sarah had always felt wonderful to Chuck and he started to worry how he was going to control his feelings (both physical and emotional) if Sarah was touching him all the time. _God I hope I'm not kidding myself_he thought as he opened door.

* * *

After holding the door open for Sarah Chuck was assaulted by a wonderful mixture of smells coming from the kitchen. He looked to his right and as expected saw Ellie preparing a meal, rushing between the counter and the oven checking on something. Chuck couldn't exactly identify the smell but he knew whatever was cooking was going to taste very good. Then a few seconds after they walked in Ellie saw them and her face lit up with happiness. "Hey guys!" she practically shouted before rushing over to meet them.

Chuck thought that Ellie was about to hug both Sarah and him at the same time and was glad when she instead hugged them individually. Ellie was so wired that Chuck even asked jokingly, "Are you okay Sis?"

"Oh I'm fine," she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm just so excited for you guys, you're finally moving forward and well I think it's wonderful." It was great to see Ellie happy but Chuck felt a little guilty about her happiness being caused by a lie. He looked over at Sarah and was surprised to see a slightly sad/guilty expression on her face that mirrored the way he felt. Fortunately Ellie was too excited to notice, and she continued saying, "And to celebrate I made my special homemade lasagna."

"My favorite," Chuck said, once again trying to think of the positives. Now that he could fully identify the smell his stomach grumbled in anticipation of a delicious home cooked meal. Turning to Ellie he said "Have I told you lately how much I love you El?"

Ellie smiled and punched him lightly on the arm. "Yes you have but it's still nice to hear." Turning to Sarah she said, "And for dessert we're going to have deep dish apple pie. Chuck said that was your favorite so I thought that would be appropriate."

"Thank you," Sarah said, touched as always by the way Ellie put a little extra effort into making sure that she felt comfortable.

"Well if you guys want to change or something the lasagna is going to take a few more minutes and Devon's still in the shower so why don't you go to _your_room and relax." It was obvious that she relished saying _your_room.

The food was absolutely delicious and the wine was flowing freely a few minutes into the celebratory dinner. Devon had told Sarah how awesome it was that she was moving in with them. Chuck had repeatedly thanked Ellie for the lasagna and said how much he loved her. Ellie's lasagna was Chuck's favorite food and he was known to "O Face" over it a la Morgan so Ellie and Devon were glad that Chuck didn't go too crazy over the meal. For her part Sarah was really enjoying the food and being part of the Bartowski family (even if the agent side of her was screaming not to get involved).

When Chuck and Devon started in on their second serving Ellie turned to Sarah and asked her, "Do you have any idea where you're going to eventually move? Not that I'm rushing you or anything." Ellie was simply curious but Chuck was worried that these types of questions could make keeping the cover stories straight more difficult.

"Well everything's happened so fast. I mean I was kicked out of the hotel just last week. I haven't had any time to look at new places or find new roommates." Sarah gave Chuck a pointed look which wasn't missed by anyone

Devon laughed. "Yeah, finding a new place it tough. Ellie and I had to look for weeks before we found this apartment." Devon waved his as though surveying his kingdom and grinned. "It was worth the hassle though." Chuck and Ellie nodded in agreement. "Hey weren't you in that hotel for a year and a half?"

"Yes," Sarah answered.

"Well why were you in a hotel for so long? Why didn't you get a more permanent place?"

Chuck was now very concerned about the question and he was about to tell Devon not to pry when Sarah spoke up. "Well when I first got here the hotel was only supposed to be temporary. I needed to get out of D.C. and I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to live or work." She then gave Chuck her best smile and touched his hand lovingly which caused him to noticeably gulp in a small fit of nervousness. "Then I met Chuck. I started working at the Wienerlicious because it was an easy job and I could be near him. I figured I wouldn't get a regular apartment until I got a more permanent job." The combination of her smile and touch caused pleasurable warmth to go up his body. _Remember we're just friends_Chuck thought.

"Aw that is so cute!" Ellie said snapping Chuck out of the spell Sarah had him under. "I always wondered why you worked at that crappy hot dog place."

"Yeah, I just wanted to be close to Chuck," Sarah said sending Chuck back under her spell by rubbing little circles on his wrist and hand.

Ellie was now over the moon after hearing this story and seeing Sarah and Chuck so affectionate with each other so she didn't think to ask the next question that had been bugging her since Chuck started dating Sarah. Fortunately for her Devon did. "I think it's awesome that you wanted to be near Chuck but how could you afford to stay at a hotel when you worked at the Wienerlicious?"

"You know maybe Sarah doesn't want to answer that Devon," Chuck said hesitantly, clearly trying to change the subject. He even made a big show of eating his lasagna in an attempt to accomplish that goal.

"It's okay Chuck, Ellie and Devon should know the real story." Chuck's eyebrows instantly shot up in surprise. "The truth is that I'm independently wealthy. My dad owned a few hundred McDonald's franchises along the east coast. I guess that's why I was comfortable working at the hot dog place for so long."

Ellie nodded thoughtfully. "Where is your dad now?"

Sarah looked down sadly. "Well he died about 10 years ago. I guess I've been on my own since then"

"Oh I'm so sorry Sarah. We didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Ellie shot Devon an angry look for prying.

"It's okay Ellie. It's been a long time since Dad died and I have only good memories of him now." Chuck winced a little knowing how far from the truth Sarah's statement really was. "Besides with I'm not alone anymore. I'm sitting with my real family right here." Sarah gave Chuck a very poignant look that looked to him like she was trying to tell him that what she said was real and not for a cover.

"I'm really glad you feel that way," Chuck said with a serious expression of his own. He stared into her eyes and instantly felt the special connection with Sarah that she tried to downplay and up until recently he was trying to emphasize. _Crap I am kidding myself_Chuck thought. _Living with her is going to be torture_.

The moment seemed so intimate that Ellie almost felt a voyeur for watching. Their feelings for each other were so powerful that she actually had to fight back tears. Hearing Sarah's story had also put her relationship problems with Chuck into perspective for Ellie. Being on your own at the age of 18 was very tough and would certainly leave emotional scars. Lord knows what would have happened to her after her dad left if Chuck hadn't been there to support her. Maybe Sarah really did just need to takes things slow. _God but the way there looking at each other now I'm not sure taking it slow is still in option_.

The mood during the remainder of the meal was significantly lighter. There were no more questions about Sarah's past or future living arrangements. Instead Chuck, Devon, Ellie, and Sarah decided to simply enjoy each other's company over world class food and a copious amount of wine. The foursome had a great time especially when they started swapping crazy patient and crazy customer stories with each other.

Ellie then brought over the apple pie and Breyer's vanilla ice cream (another Sarah Walker favorite) which resulted in Sarah profusely thanking Ellie for going out of her way to get her favorite type of food. Chuck was surprised to see that Sarah really was touched that his sister thought of her.

With the eating was finished the two couples moved to the couch to watch TV. After about an hour of sub-par shows Chuck jumped up and pronounced that he had the perfect movie for the occasion. They spent the next 90 minutes laughing hysterically at 1974 thriller _Impulse_ starring William Shatner. The movie was not intended to be comical but the combination of terrible writing, directing, and acting resulted in a film that was as funny as _The Naked Gun_or_Austin Powers_.

Chuck had never seen Sarah laugh so hard for so long and he was glad that she was relaxed enough around them to let her guard down. His thoughts about laughter went out the window when Sarah gave a him a quick kiss on the lips and snuggled against him. Chuck reflexively put his arm around her waist and experienced a sensation different from the hot spark of attraction he'd felt earlier. Instead he felt that watching a ridiculous movie with his arm around Sarah was the most natural thing in the world. Holding her on the couch felt so wonderful that he forget for minutes at a time that Sarah wasn't really his girlfriend, that is was all an act. While the closeness was occasionally uncomfortable it was having the intended effect, Ellie would look over from time to time and smile at how happy Sarah and Chuck looked together.

"Where did you find this movie Chuck?" Devon asked as the credits started to roll.

"Morgan. He'll buy pretty much anything that has William Shatner is in no matter how pathetic it is."

Devon laughed. "Yeah well thank him for me that was the most awesomely bad movie that I have ever seen."

Chuck grinned. "Sure. So what do you want to watch next?"

"Well we can't watch anything," Ellie said. "Devon and I have to be at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. so it's time for us to go to bed."

"Yeah we've got an early day tomorrow too," Sarah said.

"We do?" Chuck exclaimed.

Sarah dramatically rolled her eyes and rubbed Chuck's neck. "Remember I have some paperwork to do at the shop?" She stared hard at his bedroom trying to get her message across.

"Right… paperwork," Chuck answered finally getting her message.

Ellie chuckled and shook her head at how dense her brother could be sometimes. "Good night," she said then gave Chuck and Sarah a pat on the back.

"Yeah keep _it_awesome bro," Devon said and then followed his fiancée to their bedroom.

Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand, raised her eyebrows a little and said, "Shall we?" Chuck followed his fake girlfriend into the bedroom and shut the behind him.

* * *

After awkwardly releasing Sarah's hand Chuck opened his drawer and pulled a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. "Do you want to change in the bathroom or should I?" he asked.

"Uh Chuck we both have to change in here."

"Why?"

Sarah hesitated a little before answering. "Well Ellie and Devon think that we're you know…" She waved her hands trying to tell Chuck what meant without actually saying it.

"Oh,' Chuck said. _They think we're having sex_. "Well William Shatner is a natural aphrodisiac," he snorted.

"Yeah it would look strange if I went to the bathroom to change." Sarah was clearly uncomfortable with this subject which made Chuck feel a little better. "So I'll turn around and you change into your sweats."

"Okay uh I'll just go ahead and change now." Sarah turned and around and Chuck walked next to closet and changed into his night clothing. It was probably best for his state of mind that he didn't catch Sarah taking a quick peek at his unclothed body. "Okay I'm decent," he said and turned around.

Sarah smiled a little and said, "Okay now you shut eyes." Chuck complied and almost had a heart attack when he heard the first piece of clothing fall to the ground. _That's her pants_he thought. _There goes the shirt._ A pause and he heard a little snap. _Oh god her bra!_ Finally after the longest three minutes of his life Sarah said, "You can open your eyes I'm decent." _Thank god_ Chuck thought.

Chuck's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw that Sarah was dressed in her bikini panties and a tight t-shirt that exposed a little bit her stomach. "You call that decent?" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that Chuck?"

"Oh nothing." Chuck definitely did not want a replay of the first time she spent the night where he basically called her a hooker. "Well I'm ready to sleep. Are you?" Chuck pulled the covers back and climbed into the left side of the bed. When Sarah jumped in a second later Chuck pulled the sheet all the way up to his neck as if to protect himself.

Chuck tried very hard to go sleep but all he could think about was the beautiful woman mere inches away. What a cruel trick of fate it was for Chuck. He had everything that he'd dreamed of within reach but was forbidden to touch it. He looked at Sarah and saw that she was intensely staring at him. As soon as their eyes met Sarah flinched and looked away. She immediately turned over onto her right side and suddenly Chuck realized _she feels it too_. He was not 100% certain but Chuck now figured that Sarah felt the same heat, the same magnetic pull that he did whenever they were together. He wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.

15 minutes later Chuck felt like he was going crazy. He finally said, "Sarah I don't think I can do this."

She didn't have to ask was "this" was referring to. She was having similar thoughts but she couldn't share that with him so instead she said, "Look I know that the 24 hour protection thing is a bit much but its necessary." Chuck nodded in agreement. "Besides the CIA should find us a new apartment soon and then we'll at least get separate rooms. Until then whatever happens we'll get through it together." She reached over and gently stroked Chuck's cheek without thinking about it.

"Thanks Sarah," Chuck said with a smile. Amazingly that little bit of support helped Chuck relax and he was asleep within minutes. Sarah was awake slightly longer and right before she fell asleep she thought _I hope we're not kidding ourselves_

At 7:00 a.m. "Layla" blasted on the radio. Chuck tried to rub his eyes but found that there was a weight on his right hand. He looked down and saw that Sarah's hand was covering his. Their bodies hadn't moved toward each otherexcept for their hands which were now intertwined. He looked up and saw the same longing he felt reflected in Sarah's clear blue eyes.

As Eric Clapton's song of forbidden love played Chuck and Sarah just stared at each other and held hands. When their moment was over Sarah withdrew her hand and got out of bed very quickly. "Well busy day lots to do."


End file.
